Responses

• D

  Dennis LaPierre

  Director

  There seems to be a lot of interest and concern over the following: For the Gardom Lake residents who have worked very hard to have Mallory Ridge become a park, that is an issue that needs to reach a conclusion. It seems to be well started and I will be there to ensure the wishes of the residents are met. Another issue, one that was raised at the Falkland all candidates forum was the matter of having a greater police presence. There is a detachment facility in town and so it would be a matter of turning it back into a regularly manned local police office instead of it being the occasional satellite office the RCMP use irregularly. I come from a policing background and know the relevance of community based policing. This is something the RCMP need to take up in and around Falkland on behalf of its residents. A third issue voiced at the Falkland gathering was highway safety, essentially. People spoke about the Cedar Hill turnoff from #97 and I agree, it is a dangerous intersection. Perhaps better signage and flashing lights and/or perhaps a turning lane would make a difference. The concern needs to be brought to the attention of the Highways Ministry and answers obtained. Re; road safety, it is similarly the case in Silver Creek along the Salmon River Road. More effort needs to be put towards controlling vehicle traffic going through the community and especially past the school. Perhaps more signage, speed bumps, and RCMP traffic enforcement. A fourth, for the residents of Silver Creek is the issue of Spa Hills Farms. But, that is presently before the courts and is a matter that must await a court decision.

• 

  Jon Kozuska

  Director

  The first major issue I would do my best to lobby the Province for would be regarding our watershed issues. There is some amazing work being done by local stakeholders and I am definitely on board helping the resurrected Salmon River watershed society with their efforts to obtain grants and do riparian restoration and find ways to retain water throughout the watershed. Supporting the Mallory ridge trails society and GLSS are also important. The tireless efforts to conserve their watershed will get a further push from me. Though water is a provincial issue and in reality a CSRD directors influence is extremely limited, the squeaky wheel gets the grease and I will advocate where I can. Pressure on the MLA is absolutely in the directors wheel house, and would be the right course of action as well as at UBCM and SILGA. The next would be speeding, quite literally a major concern throughout Area D. Just like water, speed enforcement is a provincial issue. That said however, conversations with the RCMP in addition to the MLA would be the course of action. Safety is no joke and requires a solution. The Silver Creek Elementary school and the town of Falkland require traffic calming measures that can no longer be ignored. And finally transparency, the lack of transparency over the years has ruined trust within Area D with the CSRD. The solution is actually the easiest here and the steps start with the director. Be there, communicate with constituents, get out into the communities, call people back, and a big one personally, is to be accountable. All of these will aid transparency. It's not an easy road to repair the damage lack of transparency has caused, but it's not an impossible one either. Things can improve with time and effort.

• 

  Melanie Beckett

  Director

  Water is a big one obviously. Both forums I went to, this came up. As far as first steps towards addressing the issues, I think my first step would be meeting with local community associations, agricultural representatives, and water stewardship groups to establish a unified list of priority projects. That way we can know where to focus funding and resources. Also, from this water issue or lack of water, I think wildfire protection is the second thing on my list of priorities. It's a big topic, with a lot layers but I think my first step would be to refine Area D evacuation routes, expand adoption of emergency mass notification systems, and coordinate specific wildfire evacuation plans for local agricultural and livestock producers. My third priority would be to support volunteer community societies and recreation. My first step towards this would be to audit the Area D budget. It hasn't been fully rolled out yet for 2027, but I would like to review current reserve funds and come up with priorities for Area D assets.

Election day has passed, so this question is closed.